Food. Life. Outdoors. Travel.

Pitching In On Earth Day – Be a Little Green

I’m always on a quest to try and be a little “greener” — sometimes I succeed and other times I don’t. But, it is important to try and do things to help the Earth, even if they are just small contributions.

So, here is a roundup of some way to mark Earth Day today and everyday. Some are cool Web finds and some are things I do on my own.

** Unplug! This is something I started doing about a year ago, and was just talking about with my uncle last week. Unplug as many items as you can when you are not using them. This not only saves electricity and helps the planet, but will help your bills as well. Most people don’t realize that just because something is turned off, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s still not drawing power.

** Plant Green has a whole host of ways to be more eco-friendly on their website, including to use rechargeable batteries, stop using paper plates (I really like this one!), try a local or organic beer and turn down the temperature in your house when you are at work.

** Plant a garden! This may seem like a simple one, but has multiple benefits, one of which is that by planting your favorite veggies, you avoid driving to the store as much to buy them. Plus, spend several dollars on seeds and your wallet will thank you next time you see tomatoes listed for $3.99 a pound at your local grocer.

** Make You Kitchen a Little Greener! An article in the Salt Lake Tribune has some great ideas food-related ideas to help the planet, including eating local, composting and eating in season.

** Another simple, green tip I love is using a travel mug instead of a disposable one for taking coffee or tea with you on the go. I used to do this all the time, but for some reason stopped. Then, after quickly going through a giant box of them from a wholesale club, I got back on track and started using a mug again. Right now I’m using one I got in the swag bag at BlogPaws.